Parakeet and Bird Dander Allergy Information

[Pages:2]Parakeet and Bird Dander Allergy Information

When a parakeet cleans or preens itself, flaps it wings, flies around or poops, dander gets into the air. Some of it settles onto the carpet, furniture or windows. Some of it is oily which makes it impossible to blow off or wipe off without a solvent. Some of the non-oily parakeet bird dander remains airborne and can attach, it is said by some, to airborne particles or it can simply remain airborne by virtue of its light weight and ultimately be breathed in by humans. And since a parakeet's invisible dander does not get filtered by the lungs, it can and does travel into human lungs.

For asthmatics or for people mildly allergic to dander, parakeet bird dander in the lungs triggers an immune response which may manifest in itchy or watery eyes, itchy skin or worse, restriction of the throat.

Alveolitis Can Cause Labored Breathing, Muscle Pain, Fatique and Coughing

Alveolitis is a condition where the alveoli in the lungs become inflamed. Alveoli are crucial to the respiratory process because they are the small air pockets in the lung where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. Alveolitis, therefore, further stresses the breathing process for asthmatics and can have serous consequences. Symptoms in addition to shortness of breath may include:

chills; a fever; coughing; myalgia or muscle pain; dyspnea or distressed, more labored breathing; bibasilar sounds which are abnormal sounds emanating from the base of the lungs; weight loss; and fatigue.

Tips for Humans to Avoid Parakeet and Bird Allergies

Avoiding and preventing human allergies related to parakeet bird dander is not difficult and only requires a few minutes of cleaning each day. The goal of cleaning is to remove as much of the dander that sits in and outside of the parakeet cage which then limits the amount of parakeet dander entering the air stream.

If you are mildly allergic to parakeet dander:

remove the poop from its cage; be sure to line the bottom of the cage with disposable paper towels; clean every place the parakeet has perched the day before; wash the water tray (which you do normally anyway since it is suggested that you change the water daily.

If you are an asthmatic or are severely allergic to parakeet dander, preventing allergic responses will require a few more minutes of your time each day:

vacuum the area in and around the parakeet cage; vacuum cloth furniture; hand wash (with a leather cleaner like Armor-All) the leather furniture in and around the cage; buy an air filtration system and place it as close as possible to the parakeet cage without alarming the budgie ? removing your parakeet to a separate room could reduce an allergic reaction but may not because of the ongoing air streams in the home; remove the poop from its cage and all other places under which the parakeet perches ? in our case, the light stands above the bathroom mirror; be sure to line the bottom of the cage with disposable paper towels; clean every place the parakeet has perched the day before; wash the water tray; and bath the parakeet to avoid dry skin and thus, over preening.

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